Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan on Saturday said Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan was ignorant of the plight of the masses who suffered economically and socially under the unrelenting yoke of casteism.
At a public function here, he said as a teenager he was inspired by the SNDP Yogam and its stalwart leaders such as C. Kesavan and Sahodaran Ayyappan.
The social organisation had still not lost its relevance. It was the mainstay of the socially and economically backward classes who earned their livelihood from the sweat of their brow. It continued to inspire him.
But, he had serious difference with the current leadership which was exploiting the SNDP’s strength to financially and politically benefit the Natesan family. “Natesan lacked a sense of history. He would never understand or empathise with the marginalised poor in Kerala,” he said.
By seeking to align the Yogam with the BJP, Mr. Natesan was allowing the right-wing Hindutva proponents to usurp Sree Narayana Guru’s secular legacy, he said.
